CFD modeling and validation of heat transfer inside an autoclave based on a mesh independency study

2021 ◽  
pp. 002199832097904
Author(s):  
Junhong Zhu ◽  
Tim Frerich ◽  
Axel S Herrmann

Autoclave processing is the main technology used in the manufacturing of structural aerospace composite parts. To optimize the autoclave process, the thermal behavior of the part and mold can be investigated through simulations. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) provide a significant contribution to studies on heat transfer and airflow patterns, which are key points in an optimization applied to achieve a homogeneous temperature distribution inside composite parts. The solution is produced by solving the 3 D unsteady Navier–Stokes equations. This paper describes a systematic numerical study using the CFD approach to significantly improve the modeling efficiency of the heat transfer coefficient (HTC) inside an autoclave and maintain a high level of accuracy. Considering the modeling cost, calculation time, and accuracy of the results, a reasonable hybrid mesh is used based on a mesh independency study. The level of grid independence is examined using the general Richardson extrapolation method. In addition, a more robust autoclave model is presented, which is unaffected by the inlet turbulence. Further, the inlet fluid velocity and turbulence models have been identified as sensitive influencing factors. In this study, the Spalart–Allmaras turbulence model shows the best performance compared with the standard [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] SST models. Finally, the results are validated with the experimental data. The mean error of the simulated temperatures in the calorimeter for the front, middle and rear positions are [Formula: see text]C, [Formula: see text]C, and [Formula: see text]C, indicating a good agreement with the experiments. This paper provides guidelines on the use of a CFD simulation to predict the heat transfer during the autoclave curing process with high accuracy and reduced numerical effort.

Author(s):  
Jacob C. Kaessinger ◽  
Kramer C. Kors ◽  
Jordan S. Lum ◽  
Heather E. Dillon ◽  
Shannon K. Mayer

Convective heat transfer beyond explicit solutions to the Navier Stokes equations is often an empirical science. Schlieren imaging is one of the only fluid imaging systems that can directly visualize the density gradients of a fluid using collimated light and refractive properties. The ability to visualize fluid densities is useful in both research and educational fields. A Schlieren imaging device has been constructed by undergraduate students at the University of Portland. The device is used for professorial heat transfer and fluid dynamics research and to help undergraduates visualize and understand natural convection. This paper documents the design decisions, design process, and the final specifications of the Schlieren system. A simple 2-D heated cylindrical model is considered and evaluated using Schlieren imaging, OpenFOAM C.F.D. simulation, and convection analysis using a Nusselt correlation. Results are presented for the three analysis techniques and show excellent verifications between the CFD simulation, Nusselt correlation, and Schlieren imaging system.


Author(s):  
Arezou Jafari ◽  
S. Mohammad Mousavi

Numerical study of flow through random packing of non-overlapping spheres in a cylindrical geometry is investigated. Dimensionless pressure drop has been studied for a fluid through the porous media at moderate Reynolds numbers (based on pore permeability and interstitial fluid velocity), and numerical solution of Navier-Stokes equations in three dimensional porous packed bed illustrated in excellent agreement with those reported by Macdonald [1979] in the range of Reynolds number studied. The results compare to the previous work (Soleymani et al., 2002) show more accurate conclusion because the problem of channeling in a duct geometry. By injection of solute into the system, the dispersivity over a wide range of flow rate has been investigated. It is shown that the lateral fluid dispersion coefficients can be calculated by comparing the concentration profiles of solute obtained by numerical simulations and those derived analytically by solving the macroscopic dispersion equation for the present geometry.


Author(s):  
Abhijit Mukherjee ◽  
Vijay K. Dhir

Nucleate boiling is one of the most efficient modes of heat transfer. At the start of nucleate boiling, isolated bubbles appear on the heating surface, the regime known as partial nucleate boiling. Transition from isolated bubbles to fully developed nucleate boiling occurs with increase in wall superheat, when bubbles begin to merge in vertical and lateral directions. The laterally merged bubbles form vapor mushrooms, which stay attached to the heater surface via numerous vapor stems. The present study is performed to numerically analyze the bubble dynamics and heat transfer associated with lateral bubble merger during transition from partial to fully developed nucleate boiling. The complete Navier-Stokes equations in three dimensions along with the continuity and energy equations are solved using the SIMPLE method. The liquid vapor interface is captured using the Level-Set technique. Calculations are carried out for multiple bubble-merger in a line and also in a plane and the bubble dynamics and wall heat transfer are compared to that for a single bubble. The results show that the merger process significantly increases the overall wall heat transfer. It is also found that the orientation of the bubbles strongly influences different heat transfer mechanisms.


Author(s):  
Francesco Donsi' ◽  
Almerinda Di Benedetto ◽  
Francesco S Marra ◽  
Gennaro Russo

The numerical investigation of interphase heat transfer in a circular channel under laminar flow regime at different values of the Pe number is performed by means of a 2D mathematical axisymmetric model in which energy equations are coupled to the Navier-Stokes equations. The constant wall heat flux and constant wall temperature cases are simulated at different values of the Pe number. Results show that the heat transfer efficiency in both cases is strongly influenced by the back-diffusion even at very high values of Pe (Pe > 700). This behaviour is shown to be the result of the coupling between the interphase heat transport phenomena and the fluid flow. New correlations are hence derived to take into account the effect of back-diffusion on heat transfer.


1996 ◽  
Vol 329 ◽  
pp. 65-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ho Sang Kwak ◽  
Jae Min Hyun

A numerical study is performed for time-varying natural convection of an incompressible Boussinesq fluid in a sidewall-heated square cavity. The temperature at the cold sidewall Tc is constant, but at the hot sidewall a time-varying temperature condition is prescribed, $ T_H = \overline{T_H} + \Delta T^{\prime} \sin ft $. Comprehensive numerical solutions are found for the time-dependent Navier–Stokes equations. The numerical results are analysed in detail to show the existence of resonance, which is characterized by maximal amplification of the fluctuations of heat transfer in the interior. Plots of the dependence of the amplification of heat transfer fluctuations on the non-dimensional forcing frequency ω are presented. The failure of Kazmierczak & Chinoda (1992) to identify resonance is shown to be attributable to the limitations of the parameter values they used. The present results illustrate that resonance becomes more distinctive for large Ra and Pr ∼ 0(1). The physical mechanism of resonance is delineated by examining the evolution of oscillating components of flow and temperature fields. Specific comparisons are conducted for the resonance frequency ωr between the present results and several other previous predictions based on the scaling arguments.


Author(s):  
Albert Y. Tong

The problem of convective heat transfer of a circular liquid jet impinging onto a substrate is studied numerically. The objective of the study is to understand the hydrodynamics and heat transfer of the impingement process. The Navier-Stokes equations are solved using a finite-volume formulation. The free surface of the jet is tracked by the volume-of-fluid method. The energy equation is modeled by using an enthalpy-based formulation. Detailed flow fields as well as free surface contours and pressure distributions on the substrate have been obtained. Local Nusselt number variations along the solid surface have also been calculated. The effects of several key parameters on the hydrodynamics and heat transfer of an impinging liquid jet have been examined. It has been found that the jet-inlet velocity profile and jet elevation have a significant effect on the hydrodynamics and heat transfer, particularly in the stagnation region, of an impinging jet. The numerical results have been compared with experimental data obtained from the literature. The close agreement supports the validity of the numerical study.


2015 ◽  
Vol 138 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asghar B. Rahimi ◽  
Hamid Mohammadiun ◽  
Mohammad Mohammadiun

The steady-state viscous flow and also heat transfer in the vicinity of an axisymmetric stagnation point on a cylinder moving axially with a constant velocity are investigated. Here, fluid with temperature-dependent density is considered. The impinging freestream is steady and with a constant strain rate (strength) k¯. An exact solution of the Navier–Stokes equations and energy equation is derived in this problem. A reduction of these equations is obtained by use of appropriate transformations. The general self-similar solution is obtained when the wall temperature of the cylinder or its wall heat flux is constant. All the solutions above are presented for Reynolds numbers, Re=k¯a2/2υ, ranging from 0.1 to 1000, low Mach number, selected values of compressibility factor, and different values of Prandtl numbers where a is cylinder radius and υ is kinematic viscosity of the fluid. Shear stress is presented as well. Axial movement of the cylinder does not have any effect on heat transfer but its increase increases the axial component of fluid velocity field and the shear stress.


1990 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. L. Lapworth ◽  
J. W. Chew

Numerical solutions of the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations have been used to model the influence of cobs and a bolt cover on the flow and heat transfer in a rotating cavity with an imposed radial outflow of air. Axisymmetric turbulent flow is assumed using a mixing length turbulence model. Calculations for the non-plane discs are compared with plane disc calculations and also with the available experimental data. The calculated flow structures show good agreement with the experimentally observed trends. For the cobbed and plane discs, Nusselt numbers are calculated for a combination of flow rates and rotational speeds; these show some discrepancies with the experiments, although the calculations exhibit the more consistent trend. Further calculations indicate that differences in thermal boundary conditions have a greater influence on Nusselt number than differences in disc geometry. The influence of the bolt cover on the heat transfer has also been modelled, although comparative measurements are not available.


Author(s):  
Emre O¨ztu¨rk ◽  
I˙lker Tarı

In this study, forced cooling of heat sinks mounted on CPUs was investigated. Heat sink effectiveness, effect of turbulence models, effect of radiation heat transfer and different heat sink geometries were numerically analyzed by commercially available computational fluid dynamics softwares Icepak and Fluent. The numerical results were compared with the experimental data and they were in good agreement. Conjugate heat transfer is simulated for all the electronic cards and packages by solving Navier-Stokes equations. Grid independent, well converged and well posed models were run and the results were compared. The best heat sink geometry is selected and it is modified in order to have lower maximum temperature distribution in the heat sink.   This paper was also originally published as part of the Proceedings of the ASME 2005 Pacific Rim Technical Conference and Exhibition on Integration and Packaging of MEMS, NEMS, and Electronic Systems.


2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-61
Author(s):  
Olga Hubová ◽  
Marek Macák ◽  
Alžbeta Grmanová

Abstract Our calculation of wind effects was based on the specific wind situation of the planned R2 expressway. Given the topography and the prevailing wind directions, it was necessary to analyse the speeds for winds that could cause vehicles with trailers to be pushed off the roadway, as has been observed in recent years. Using a CFD simulation in the ANSYS FLUENT program, we analysed the entire section of the planned R2 expressway in order to evaluate the wind speeds at the level of the centre of gravity of truck trailers. Statistical turbulence models based on a time-averaging method, i.e., the RANS-Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equations, of turbulent flow quantities and the time-averaging procedure of balance equations are suitable for solving the engineering tasks. In numerical simulations, the Realizable k - ε model was used in which the calculation of the turbulent dynamic viscosity in the equation for Boussinesque’s hypothesis was solved using two transport equations. Plotting and comparing the wind speeds for significant wind directions allowed us to design protection in the dangerous areas using protective walls.


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